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Norfolk Rivers IDB and Waveney, Lower Yare & Lothingland IDB Storm Recovery and Asset Improvement Projects
Norfolk Rivers Internal Drainage Board and Waveney, Lower Yare & Lothingland Internal Drainage Board have successfully delivered a series of important infrastructure improvements through the IDB Storm Recovery and Asset Improvement Fund, strengthening flood resilience while demonstrating how engineering and nature can work hand in hand.
The programme included the replacement and restoration of key culverts at Lexham, Raynham, Billingford and Great Yarmouth, improving the reliability of critical drainage assets and helping to safeguard local communities, farmland and infrastructure from future flood risk.
Alongside these engineering improvements, Norfolk Rivers IDB delivered the River Tas Natural Flood Management and Restoration Project at Forncett St Peter—a scheme designed to slow the flow of water, reconnect the river with its floodplain and restore one of Norfolk’s internationally important chalk streams.
The project welcomed Ben Goldsborough MP for South Norfolk this week, who visited the site with Matthew Philpot and Owen Phillips from our Operations Team to see first-hand how the scheme is delivering both flood resilience and environmental benefits.
Following the visit, Ben Goldsborough MP said:
“This brilliant scheme is doing two things at once: helping protect nearby residents from flooding while restoring one of Britain’s precious chalk stream rivers.
“Our Internal Drainage Boards have the local knowledge and expertise to get on with the job. We should be giving them a stronger role, rather than expecting the Environment Agency to be a jack of all trades, master of none.
“We also need to give farmers and landowners the support and confidence to manage waterways in greater harmony with nature. Local people know their waterways better than anyone. The answer is not always more bureaucracy. Sometimes it is trusting the people who know the land, empowering them to act, and working with nature rather than against it.”
The combination of resilient infrastructure improvements and innovative natural flood management highlights the increasingly important role that Internal Drainage Boards play in adapting to both flood and drought. By investing in critical assets while restoring natural river processes, Norfolk Rivers IDB and Waveney, Lower Yare & Lothingland IDB are helping to create healthier catchments that are better equipped to manage the challenges of a changing climate.
Read more about the IDB Storm Recovery and Asset Improvement Funding secured by the WMA’s Member Boards in our News piece; Delivering Recovery, Resilience and Lasting Impact
